Silent Night
A Novel
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4.2 • 629 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A shocking accident. A little girl struggling to survive. And the childless aunt who transforms her own world to help her . . . Danielle Steel’s deeply moving novel is a story of resilience and hope.
Paige Watts is the ultimate stage mother. The daughter of Hollywood royalty, Paige channels her acting dreams into making her own daughter, Emma, a star. By the age of nine, Emma is playing a central role in a hit TV show. Then everything is shattered by unforeseeable tragedy.
Now Emma is living with her aunt Whitney, who had chosen a very different path from her sister’s. Whitney was always the studious older sister, hating the cult of celebrity that enveloped their childhood. Instead, she is a psychiatrist who lives for her work and enjoys a no-strings-attached love affair with a wealthy venture capitalist. But at a moment’s notice, Whitney drops everything to help her niece.
Once famous, outgoing, and charismatic, Emma is now a shadow of her former self—without speech, without memory, lost and terrified. But with her aunt Whitney’s help, along with a team of caregivers and doctors, Emma begins to find her way, starting her young life all over again—and changing the lives of everyone around her.
Emotionally gripping and richly involving, Silent Night explores how the heart has mysterious healing powers of its own, and blessings happen when we think all is lost.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Few authors understand the shocking twists and turns of human drama like Danielle Steel. Whitney Watts is a respected psychiatrist living her best life when a tragic accident leaves her sister’s daughter Emma—a nine-year-old TV star—in her care. Physically and emotionally scarred, Emma starts on a long road toward recovery, and, together, aunt and niece forge a new life that’s very different from what they expected. Steel reveals her characters with so much attention and care that we can’t help but feel every emotion with them, particularly as Whitney grapples with her identity as someone who never wanted children and Emma comes to terms with losing a career she never really chose. Silent Night is a sweeping testament to how goodness can sometimes emerge from tragedy.
Customer Reviews
A poignant novel
Silent Night by Danielle Steel takes us to Los Angeles, California. Emma Watts is a nine year old who is the youngest cast member of the hit TV show The Clan. Emma is an intelligent child with a charming personality and a bright future ahead of her. Paige Watts is the driving force behind Emma’s career. On their way home one evening, Paige and Emma are running late for appointment with Emma’s drama coach when a terrible tragedy occurs. Dr. Whitney Watts, Emma’s aunt, rushes back to Los Angeles from Italy to be with Emma. Whitney became a psychologist after growing up in the shadow of her famous actress mother and agent father. She has never desired to marry or have children. Whitney now finds herself responsible for her niece who awakens from a coma with no memory plus she cannot hear or speak. Emma has a long road ahead of her if she is to recover from a traumatic brain injury. Whitney, with the assistance of dedicated doctors, teachers and a nurse, hopes to help Emma regain what she has lost and go forward to a bright, fulfilling future.
Silent Night is a poignant story. We get to see tragic events unfold when a person is careless with their own and a loved one’s safety while operating a car. I thought Silent Night was well-written and engaging. I sat down and read this story straight through (I wen to bed late even for me). The book had steady pacing with smooth transitions between sections. There are good, relatable characters in the story. We see how life can change in a moment and families are messy. I found Silent Night to be an emotional and heartbreaking story. We get to experience the grief Whitney and Emma go through along with handling Emma’s injury. There is good information on traumatic brain injuries in the book. Danielle Steel related the details in an easy to understand way which I appreciated. Emma’s journey is difficult as she tries to relearn all that she has lost. It is nice to see the characters grow as individuals and see this one event change the course of their lives. I like that the author provided an epilogue that nicely wrapped up the book. Silent Night is a story that will touch your heart.
Very inspiring
Very inspiring to learn about a disability what a young child goes through and learning about a mothers relationship how to love and trust someone. Also, learned how to go through a when a mom passes away and leaves her young daughter through a tragic car accident. Relationship with one another are important to communicate with each other.
Silent Night
I loved this book. The relationship between Whitney and her niece, 9 year old Emma after her mother was killed in an auto accident, is very interesting. Emma was a talented child actor and her mother, Paige, was her manager. Now with no other living relatives, Emma and Whitney must learn how to be a family. Whitney loved her niece, but loved her independent life and never wanted to marry or have children. Now she has an angry child with a severe head injury who only wants her mother. As Emma begins to regain her memory, the two learn, through many trials and tribulations, to love and trust each other and become a family.